SOORNA KOOTA (FRIED YAM IN COCONUT CHUTNEY)

Soorna Koota - a lip-smacking, simple coconut based chutney with crispy, fried yams.   Enjoy it as a side dish with rice and dal or any meal!

WHAT IS SOORAN/ELEPHANT YAM?

Sooran/suran/surnu/elephant yam is a unique root vegetable and it is called “elephant” because of it’s size I guess. They are huge and we normally buy these in pieces from the market as the whole yam is too much to consume at a go!

WHAT IS SOORNA KOOTA?

Coming from a coastal town like Mangalore (in southern India), I grew up eating dishes with coconut as a base.  We love to cook various seasonal vegetables and simmer them in coconut masala using simple spices like jeera, hing, mustard or coriander seeds.

Kootu/Koota is a simple, no-cook Konkani style coconut chutney with just 2 simple spices; fenugreek seeds and hing. When these two spices are roasted and ground with coconut, roasted dry red chilies and some tamarind for the sour element, it elevates the whole aroma and flavor of the curry to a new level!

The rest is just deep frying (or shallow frying if you are calorie conscious!) chunks of yam until they are crisp and golden brown. Just mix in with the prepared koota masala and then serve immediately!

For a more ethereal aroma, a tempering of mustard seeds, hing (optional at this stage) and fresh, aromatic curry leaves in coconut oil is added!

The whole dish is really so simple with minimal spices, but the final dish is to die for! Because it has no onions or garlic, it is popularly served at weddings, religious functions and is a most sought after dish during festival dinners/lunches at most Hindu temples in the Mangalore region!

ONE PRECAUTION: Touch wet pieces of yam and you will end up having itchy fingers/hands! So, wash them after cutting or chopping them. Transfer chopped bits into a bowl of water to avoid browning. When you want to drain, use a ladle and not your hands! Use as needed in any curry.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

The key to enjoying this dish is serving the fried crunchy bits of yam alongside with the coconut chutney and not mixed like other curries. Once you mix it in, they will turn soggy and that is not what you want!

You can mix as much or as little of these tasty sooran chips as you like! For most of us from our Konkani community, a small bowl of this is enough to make any meal satisfying. We love to have it as a side dish with rice and dalithoy! You can also serve it with any meal like you would serve Indian pickles or any condiment!

Once you have fried the cubes of yam to crispy, crunchy golden brown bits, you can store them in an airtight container for at least a week!

If you have leftover yam crunchies, there is another instant dish you can make. Mix some finely chopped onions, bits of green chilies/jalapenos and some freshly grated coconut. Just before serving, mix in the crispy yam and serve immediately! This dish is called “SOORNA KISMURI”! Here, now you can make two dishes with this!

I am sure you will love Soorna Koota as much as we relish it! Do try it the next time you find yam or if you cannot find any, you can use potatoes too. The piece de resistance is the methi and hing flavored coconut chutney that engulfs each crispy bit of yam!

With just a simple seasoning of hing/asafetida and fenugreek, it is one of the most desired side dishes from our Konkani community!

FREEZE LEFTOVERS:

If you have any leftover coconut masala, you can refrigerate for another 2 to 3 days  or freeze it in an airtight container for up to 1 month! You can even use the leftover coconut masala to dunk your dosas (rice-lentil savory crepes), idlis (rice-lentil steamed cakes) or any Indian flat bread like roti, paratha, chapati etc.!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

HERE ARE SOME MORE EXOTIC COCONUT CURRIES FROM THIS BLOG:

• Pulikoddel/Ash gourd in Coconut Curry
• Vegan Pineapple Coconut Curry
• Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk
• Vegan Mushroom Masala Curry

STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO  MAKE SURNA KOOTA:

TO PREPARE THE SOORAN/YAM:

Peel yam (remove the thick skin) before washing it. Then cut into small cubes and drop into a bowl of water.

Wash thoroughly in plenty of water (again make sure to use a perforated ladle to drain and not your hands); transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle some salt, mix well and keep aside for about 10 minutes.

Heat oil for deep frying and once the oil is hot, drop chopped sooran in batches (again using a peforated ladle) and fry, stirring often until crispy and golden brown. When you notice the bubbles subsiding, you know they are cooked.

Remove and place on oil-absorbent paper lined plate.

TO MAKE THE COCONUT CHUTNEY FOR KOOTU:

Fry methi seeds and hing in a teaspoon of oil for a few seconds and add to the blender jar along with coconut, roasted red chilies and tamarind/tamarind paste.

Make a fine paste with a little water.

Transfer to a serving bowl, dilute with a little water to a semi thick consistency (like coconut chutney).

Add salt to taste (remember, the fried sooran has some salt too) and mix well.

Meanwhile make the tempering.

TO MAKE THE TEMPERING:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small saucepan and once hot add mustard seeds.

As soon as they start to splutter, add hing and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.

Pour the tempering over the coconut chutney and mix well.

Just before serving, stir in as much fried sooran as you want and serve immediately. If you keep them for too long, they will turn soggy.

Enjoy as a side dish with rice and dal! It can be served as a side dish with any meal!

If you do try it, drop me a line in the comments below, rate it and share your photo by tagging #curryandvanilla16 on Instagram!

Happy Cooking friends!

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